Capsicum chacoense
Hunz.
Solanaceae
Common Name:
Fruiting branches of the cultivar 'Sparky'
Photograph by: Mark Rowland
© Mark Rowland. This photo is subject to strict copyright and should not be used without the permission of the author.
Fruiting branches of the cultivar 'Sparky'
Photograph by: Mark Rowland
© Mark Rowland. This photo is subject to strict copyright and should not be used without the permission of the author.
Ripe fruits
Photograph by: Mark Rowland
© Mark Rowland. This photograph remains the copyright of the author and should not be copied without his permission.
General Information
Capsicum chacoense is a small, evergreen shrub growing about 1 metre tall. The plant branches evenly, forming a small to medium-sized shrub in most cases.
A wild ancestor of the cultivated chillies, it is sometimes harvested from the wild for its fruit and very occasionally cultivated in gardens.
Known Hazards
Although providing many well-known foods for people, including the potato, tomato, pepper and aubergine, most plants in the family Solanaceae also contain poisonous alkaloids. Unless there are specific entries with information on edible uses, it would be unwise to ingest any part of this plant[
K- Title
- Plants for a Future
- Author
- Ken Fern
- Description
- Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
].
Botanical References
Range
S. America - Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia.
Habitat
Not known
Properties
| Edibility Rating |  |
| Habit | Evergreen Shrub |
| Height | 1.00 m |
| Cultivation Status | Cultivated, Wild |
Cultivation Details
A plant of low to moderate elevations in the subtropics and tropics.
Plants tend to crop heavily each season and in warm areas can easily keep producing for four or five years.
Edible Uses
Fruit - cooked[
301- Title
- Cornucopia II
- Publication
-
- Author
- Facciola. S.
- Publisher
- Kampong Publications, California.
- Year
- 1998
- ISBN
- 0-9628087-2-5
- Description
- The second edition of an excellent guide to the edible uses of plants, though it does not give any details of cultivation etc.
]. The hot, pungent fruits are used as a condiment[
301- Title
- Cornucopia II
- Publication
-
- Author
- Facciola. S.
- Publisher
- Kampong Publications, California.
- Year
- 1998
- ISBN
- 0-9628087-2-5
- Description
- The second edition of an excellent guide to the edible uses of plants, though it does not give any details of cultivation etc.
]. The fruit grows to be around 3cm in length when fully ripe, and is bright red in colour, with a roundish/triangular shape.
Medicinal
None known
Other Uses
None known
Propagation
Seed - sow in a seedbed or in containers[
300- Title
- Vegetables in the Tropics
- Publication
-
- Author
- Tindall. H. D.
- Publisher
- MacMillan, Oxford.
- Year
- 1983
- ISBN
- 0-333-24268-8
- Description
- An excellent, in-depth look at the main vegetable crops that can be grown in the Tropics, plus many less well-known plants.
]. The seed usually germinates in 3 - 4 weeks at 20°c. Plant out into permanent positions when about 8 - 10cm tall[
300- Title
- Vegetables in the Tropics
- Publication
-
- Author
- Tindall. H. D.
- Publisher
- MacMillan, Oxford.
- Year
- 1983
- ISBN
- 0-333-24268-8
- Description
- An excellent, in-depth look at the main vegetable crops that can be grown in the Tropics, plus many less well-known plants.
].
If you have any useful information about this plant, please leave a comment. Comments have to be approved before they are shown here.
Useful Tropical Plants Database 2014 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
